James Kirkup: On bomb threats to WPUK meetings: apathy or fear or speaking out?

[R0wantrees]

Article in Spectator concludes:

(extract)
"...Yet women turn up anyway, in large numbers. And what does it say about public and political debate about gender issues that this stuff has become normal and almost unremarkable?

In Britain in 2018, women trying to hold public meetings to talk about politics and the law are being subjected to intimidation and threats. The police are investigating a bomb threat against one of those meetings. Yet politicians and large sections of the media are silent. Would that be the case if any other group or community were subject to such threats and intimidation? Why aren’t politicians, of all parties, shouting from the rooftops about this?

It’s not as if they don’t know or don’t care. Since I started writing about the gender debate in February, I’ve lost count of the number of MPs and other political people (of all parties and ranks, from policy advisers to Cabinet ministers) who have privately told me they are worried about the nature of this debate and worried about the implications of policy. Yet almost all of those people have also said they are not willing to talk about this publicly, for fear of the criticism and vitriol they believe they would face from people who believe the interests of transgender people are best served by shouting down questions with allegations of transphobia and bigotry. I understand that silence, but it has costs. When the people who are supposed to speak for ordinary people – and the rules that allow those people to exercise their basic democratic freedoms – stay silent, they leave a vacuum of leadership and moral courage that can be filled with hostility and fear.

I’ll end by repeating the basic facts of this story once more, in the hope that some of the politicians who talk so much about free speech and equality and fairness finally pluck up the courage to talk about this. Some women had a meeting to talk about their legal rights. Someone threatened to blow up the meeting with a bomb. The police are investigating that threat and say it is being “taken seriously”. And this happened in Britain in 2018."

blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/06/why-are-women-who-discuss-gender-getting-bomb-threats/

The silence is sinister.

It's disgusting and cowardly. These politicians and journalists should be ashamed of themselves.

Hurray, glad I decided to subscribe to the spectator. There's lots of stuff in it I don't agree with but they are the main magazine speaking up for us and their non woke policy is refreshing. His articles rarely make the main printed magazine though. Will see if this one does

If you are reading, James, thank you.

It’s not as if they don’t know or don’t care. Since I started writing about the gender debate in February, I’ve lost count of the number of MPs and other political people (of all parties and ranks, from policy advisers to Cabinet ministers) who have privately told me they are worried about the nature of this debate and worried about the implications of policy.

Good. At least people are aware and talking about it privately, if not publicly.

Hooray for JK. And thank you.

Politicians must find the courage to speak openly about this. I feel so very let down by those who are supposed to represent us.

It’s not as if they don’t know or don’t care. Since I started writing about the gender debate in February, I’ve lost count of the number of MPs and other political people (of all parties and ranks, from policy advisers to Cabinet ministers) who have privately told me they are worried about the nature of this debate and worried about the implications of policy. Yet almost all of those people have also said they are not willing to talk about this publicly, for fear of the criticism and vitriol they believe they would face from people who believe the interests of transgender people are best served by shouting down questions with allegations of transphobia

James Kirkup seems to be in a position to know. It's one thing women thinking that politicians are unaware, or haven't really seen the dark underbelly. It's quite another to realise they are all fully aware and are either just chickenshit, or couldn't give a toss about women as long as they themselves aren't targeted.

Women are 51% of the voting population. It's extraordinary to me how anyone could be this shortsighted.

James Kirkup is one of the few men who are in possession of a working set of cojones re. this issue.

The realisation of this fact has been very shocking for me.

Thank you James

Another fine piece from James.

I was particularly encouraged by his reference to the number of senior political figures expressing concern. We just need to get them to do so in public as well as in private.

I think the questions that James Kirkup raises in the article are exactly the ones we should all be asking of our MPs and public figures.

Perhaps MPs etc also need to be assured that there will be many people standing up with them if and when they speak up?

They have been convincingly briefed otherwise... no doubt there has been talk/ (threat?) of a second Stonewall Riot. ( O yes, India Willoughby said it in Pink News )

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3283637-Very-positive-response-from-MP

If MPs are aware but too invested in looking ‘woke’ or too intimidated or too apathetic to speak up, then they need to realise how much worse it will be for them if the rights of women and children are not sufficiently protected to prevent the inevitable future event that will have the whole country pointing finders at them.
Have they learned nothing from Grenfell?

Look at Trump right now - his party have nodded along in the background, ushering through awful policies, unwilling to upset any apple carts or stuck their head above any parapets.

And now they’ve got actual prison facilities for children under 5 with no structure to adequately care for those poor, frightened babies and no system for reuniting them with their families.

‘Tender age secure facilities’

Prisons for babies. Innocent babies

So, stop nodding along in the background, MPs, because If you don’t start listening to us canaries in the coal mine, all the frogs will boil.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/06/20/trumps-baby-prisons-tear-at-the-inspirational-fabric-of-america/

Well done James and thanks for staying with this issue and continuing to raise it - a real man does that - these semblances of toxic masculinity and /or cowards are the ones lacking the courage to stand up for what they know is right.

This is how totalitarianism starts - the cowardice of the many in the face of being "unpopular" where they consider their reputation is more important than women and children's safety -- I can't even excuse them of being asleep as he says in his article that they know all too well of the safeguarding issues at stake here.

To the cowards and other "men" out there - go watch Hannah Gadsby on Netflix in Nanette - she says it all - grow some balls and stand up and be counted.

I agree with Datun - I'd prefer that MPs take a GC stance for the right reasons, but I'm surprised they haven't done so just based on The electoral maths of 51% versus a fraction of 1%.

It's quite another to realise they are all fully aware and are either just chickenshit, or couldn't give a toss about women as long as they themselves aren't targeted.

This. What a bunch of self serving cowards.

Since I started writing about the gender debate in February, I’ve lost count of the number of MPs and other political people (of all parties and ranks, from policy advisers to Cabinet ministers) who have privately told me they are worried about the nature of this debate and worried about the implications of policy.

This is good news. If true then when this comes to Parliament then maybe they will then speak out and stop this. I can understand the reticence, it's not easy to speak up as people are being attacked and threatened with bombings.

JK is fantastic. He just lays the facts out as they are and allows people to see the whole picture of what's going on out there and what women have to endure just to be able to talk.

Freespeecher

I don't thnk they've been able to hear the GC position.

They have been briefed that it is something that its not.

Propaganda is a very effective device.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/2993425-Maria-Miller-interviewed-by-Janice-Turner-full-text

Perhaps if the petition gets to 100 000 there might be an open debate in Parliament?

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214118

We show you what brave is, now you show us MPs/Press/leaders, show us you are not the cowards and self serving elites that caused Brexit!

I'm impressed by how James Kirkup has tackled this and continued to examine what is going on. Regardless of what you believe in this debate there is something very unnerving about how freedom of speech is being attacked in this country and this is one aspect of it (with a delightful side of misogyny).

tsk - my usual posting too soon.

I am a bit anxious about the fact people have issues and questions and are not speaking up - that doesn't bode well. Historically speaking that kind of attitude has well and truly landed us in the poo.

Just sent this article to my mp with a general rant about the silencing of women including Twitter and MN.
When are any of the fuckers going to speak out?
James is a star.

Thank you again James Kirkup. I’m encouraged but at the same time getting increasingly pissed off. MPs who don’t speak up are tacitly endorsing the intimidation and terrorism against women. I understand being worried and I’m circumspect at work myself but representing your electorate is your job and if you can’t do it then why are you in politics?

And if they think they can wait till it’s safe before they speak up they can piss right off.

www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/bomb-squad-called-to-st-leonards-1-8536449